IDF REMOVAL OF 23 WEST BANK OBSTACLES HAS MINIMAL

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 TEL AVIV 003184 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE; NEA/IPA FOR GOLDBERGER/SHAMPAINE/ROSENSTOCK/PECCIA; NSC FOR ABRAMS/SINGH/WATERS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/01/2017 TAGS: PGOV PREL IS KPAL KWBG SUBJECT: IDF REMOVAL OF 23 WEST BANK OBSTACLES HAS MINIMAL IMPACT Classified By: Ambassador Richard H. Jones for reasons 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (C) Summary: On October 30, Brig. Gen. Eitan Dangot, Military Advisor to the Minister of Defense provided the Ambassador with a map indicating the locations of 23 West Bank obstacles dismantled by the IDF earlier this month. Analysis by ECF (the Economic Cooperation Foundation) indicates that the impact of the IDF's removal of these obstacles is minimal, at best, and will not significantly improve the overall movement and access of Palestinians in the West Bank. In Shatzberg's view, the obstacles removed -- two checkpoints, 21 earth mounds -- are neither located on any main roads, nor in the central West Bank where removing some obstacles would serve multiple Palestinian populations and have a noticeable impact on improving Palestinian West Bank movement. In most cases, the removed earth mounds by the IDF will only benefit the people in the immediate area. Moreover, twelve of the obstacles removed in the southern West Bank would have been removed, in any case, due to their being located west of the separation barrier, completed in the area in the past month. According to Shatzberg, the IDF's recent removal of the 23 obstacles is similar to previous IDF obstacle removals which impacted the day-to-day lives of Palestinians only minimally. The topographical map provided by the IDF had few identifying features and Embassy worked with ECF's GIS mapping software to detect true locations. End summary. -------------- IDF Map -------------- ¶2. (C) On October 30, Brig. Gen. Eitan Dangot, Military Advisor to the Minister of Defense provided the Ambassador with a West Bank map indicating the locations of 23 West Bank obstacles the IDF claimed to have dismantled on October 10. The topographical map had few identifying features and Embassy worked with ECF's geo-spatial mapping software to detect true locations. According to the map, the following obstacles were removed: -- 11 earth mounds and one checkpoint near the Bedouin area of Ramadin, located in the southern West Bank, -- Teqoa checkpoint, located south of Jerusalem, -- Three earth mounds east of the Palestinian village of Qabalan, located in the northern West Bank, -- One earth mound east of the Migdalim settlement, located in the northern West Bank, -- One earth mound north of the Rechelim settlement, located in the northern West Bank, -- One earth mound in the Palestinian village of Huwarra, south of Yitzhar Junction, located in the northern West Bank, -- Two earth mounds east of Jit Junction, located in the northern West Bank, -- One earth mound between the Palestinian areas of Tulkarm and Izbat Abu Khameish, located in the northern West Bank, -- One earth mound south of Deir al Ghusun, located in the northern West Bank. (Note: The map provided by Dangot only identified where the obstacles that the IDF removed were located. The symbols used on the map were not consistent in size, nor were they drawn to scale; thus -- the above description is only an approximation of the obstacles' locations. The IDF did not provide names or coordinates of the obstacles removed. End note.) -------------- Ramadin and Teqoa -------------- ¶3. (C) ECF consultant Ron Shatzberg provided econoff with his analysis of the IDF's recent obstacle removal. In Shatzberg's view, the IDF's removal of 23 obstacles -- two checkpoints, 21 earth mounds -- will have minimal overall impact on increasing the movement and access of Palestinians in the West Bank. In most cases, the removal will likely only benefit a small number of Palestinians immediately adjacent to the removed obstacle. A former West Bank brigade TEL AVIV 00003184 002 OF 003 commander, Shatzberg used his area expertise as well as his direct contacts with local West Bank commanders to provide the following information. ¶4. (C) Speaking of the 12 obstacles -- one checkpoint and 11 earth mounds -- that the IDF removed near the Bedouin area of Ramadin, (located in the southwest corner of the West Bank),Shatzberg noted that these obstacles would have been removed by the IDF, in any case. He explained that the removed obstacles ran along the north side of road 325 and were placed there to prevent Palestinians seeking work from illegally crossing into Israel. Since the separation barrier had been completed in this area within the last month, sealing access to Israel, the illegal immigration route was eliminated so there was no further need for these obstacles. MOD officials have also told emboffs in the past that the IDF would remove obstacles in localized areas once the barrier was completed. ¶5. (C) On the removal of the Teqoa checkpoint, Shatzberg opined that the IDF likely removed this checkpoint due to pressure from Israeli settlers. Shatzberg said that when the IDF opened Lieberman Road approximately one month ago, settlers urged the IDF to remove this checkpoint. Prior to the Lieberman Road's opening, only Palestinians used this route. Now that Israelis also used this route, Shatzberg asserted that the checkpoint was removed by the IDF because settlers did not want to be subjected to the wait. Shatzberg noted that the removal of the Teqoa checkpoint would not be deemed as significant by the Palestinians since this was not a major travel route for Palestinian traffic. -------------- Qabalan -------------- ¶6. (C) Shatzberg additionally characterized the removal of three earth mounds east of the Palestinian village of Qabalan as minor, but something that would benefit Qabalan residents. According to Shatzberg, one earth mound removed east of Qabalan will open up a small road to Jurish, a small Palestinian village located approximately two kilometers east. A second earth mound removed east of Qabalan will give Palestinians the ability to access a small orchard nearby with tractors. Prior to the IDF removing this second earth mound, Palestinians harvested and transported their crops by foot or with the assistance of pack animals. ¶7. (C) The IDF also removed a third earth mound located northeast of Qabalan. Approximately two years ago, Palestinians attacked two settlers from the Elon More settlement. After attacking the settlers, Shatzberg said, the Palestinian attackers fled to the Qabalan area. In response to this attack, the IDF placed multiple obstacles between Route 505 and Qabalan to block potential escape routes that could be utilized by future attackers to escape. Shatzberg noted that this third earth mound removed by the IDF was likely one of these obstacles blocking access to Route 505. He said, however, that although the removal of this barrier opens access to Route 505, Qabalan residents already use an alternate route to Route 505. -------------- Huwarra and Jit Junction -------------- ¶8. (C) Shatzberg said that the earth mound that the IDF removed in the Palestinian village of Huwarra stopped Palestinian villagers from traveling north in order to bypass the checkpoint at the Yitzhar Junction. He noted that the removal of this earth mound was not significant, but would give Palestinians better access in and out of a local school. ¶9. (C) The IDF's map indicates that two earth mounds were removed east of Jit Junction, along the southern Nablus bypass road. The earth mounds seem to be located across from each other -- one on the north side of the southern Nablus bypass road, the other on the south side -- east of the Palestinian village of Sarra. In Shatzberg's assessment, these obstacles were placed in these locations by the IDF to prevent Palestinians from Nablus and its adjacent areas from accessing Route 60. The removal of these obstacles, however, does not foster greater Palestinian movement because Palestinians who would access the southern Nablus bypass road in this area would encounter other obstacles in either direction -- within a kilometer -- along this road. TEL AVIV 00003184 003 OF 003 -------------- Minimal Overall Effect -------------- ¶10. (C) Shatzberg did not know why the IDF removed random individual earth mounds near the settlements of Rechelim and Migdalim, or those east of Tulkarm. He said, however, that the IDF's recent removal of the 23 obstacles is similar to previous IDF obstacle removals which minimally impacted Palestinian lives at best. The obstacles removed -- two checkpoints, 21 earth mounds -- are neither located on any main West Bank roads, nor are they located in the central West Bank where removing some obstacles would serve multiple Palestinian populations. In his view, the IDF chose easy and often redundant obstacles to remove, rather than choosing ones that could have a meaningful impact in alleviating Palestinian restrictions in the West Bank. -------------- Comment: -------------- ¶11. (C) Though admittedly, these 23 obstacles do not represent the major significant barriers to Palestinian movement within the West Bank as a whole, their removal will impact local populations. They are a first step to address movement and access issues by the Minister of Defense. In the past, the IDF has consistently thwarted suggestions to change its security posture in the West Bank. However, General Dangot informed the Ambassador in their meeting that this exercise is only the beginning and that other obstacles would be considered for removal in the near future. End comment. ********************************************* ******************** Visit Embassy Tel Aviv's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/telaviv You can also access this site through the State Department's Classified SIPRNET website. ********************************************* ******************** JONES